It will have been half a century in January that the “Kaho’olawe Nine” made landfall to protest the bombing and military activity on the island. They later formed the Protect Kahoʻolawe ʻOhana to continue the work.
The Navy turned Kaho’olawe over to the state of Hawaiʻi in 1994 under the direction of President George H. W. Bush.
PKO is now gearing up for the 50th anniversary with a celebration of restoration and aloha ʻāina this weekend. HPR talked to members of the group to reflect on the years of restoration.
Davianna McGregor emphasized that by law, the island is specifically used for educational, spiritual and scientific purposes. She added that the island is for the regeneration of the Hawaiian culture, and commercial use is prohibited.
"That's a really important concept to uphold to make sure if we're going to honor this island as a sacred place, that it is not commercialized, that it is a place of refuge — one place in Hawaiʻi where people can go, to reconnect with the islands as our ancestors experienced them and saw them," she said.
Many military land leases across the islands are set to expire, and McGregor shared that it's not right to allow those leases to be renewed.
"Why are we saying, 'Yes, let's renew the abuse of this land?' That's just not correct. That's not pono. It's not what should be done," she told HPR.
Kaipu Keala, who is also a member of PKO, highlighted the importance of taking care of Hawaiian lands.
"We're here to kūkulu. We're here to build rather than just tear things down. Part of that dream that they dreamt in the '70s and the '80s is for us to be able to sustain ourselves, for us to be able to create, institutionalize aloha ʻāina in a way, so that it's not just a couple of brave people bearing the brunt of the burden, but it's all of us, collectively," he said.
PKO will hold a fundraiser this Saturday, July 26, from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Kākoʻo ʻŌiwi in Heʻeia on Oʻahu. For more information, click here.
This story aired on The Conversation on July 24, 2025. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. Tori DeJournett adapted this story for the web.
